Hello Cairo! Over the weekend, I had the amazing opportunity to visit the capital of Egypt. We were excited to finally explore one of the ancient Wonders of the World. Flying into to Cairo International we were excited to spot the famous Pyramids of Giza from our window seat. For anyone traveling to Cairo, there is a visa upon arrival off to the side at one of the currency exchanges that you need to get before going through immigration. The cost for the visa upon arrival is 25 USD. There is a cash machine that is easy for withdrawals although watch out.. the cash machine did eat our credit card! When we were finished with immigration, we were met by our guide from Cairo Overnight. The tour company provides a driver and a guide to assist on having a safe and unforgettable experience in the beautiful city of Cairo. The first thing on our agenda was of course the famous Pyramids of Giza. Our guide gave us a 7 minute history of the pyramids and then gave us time to explore the area on our own but was readily available to answer questions. We opted to take a 30 minute camel ride to the western side of the pyramids for prime photos. Young boys-known ingeniously as camel boys- are basically professional photographers and are happy to take as many photos to get the perfect photos… as you can see below. The final part of the pyramid tour was getting some one on one time with the famous sphinx.

We finished our time at Giza and drove 40 minutes to the town of Saqqara. Saqqara houses the Step Pyramid. There is a conservation program on going to perserve the pyramid from decaying.

Here there is the ability to go down inside the pyramid to see a tomb, unlike the pyramids at Giza. The Mummy is located in the Egyptian Museum but you are allowed to climb inside to take a picture. The walk down inside is a steep incline with fake steps, I wouldn’t recommend people who are claustrophobic or unstable to opt out of going inside the pyramid.
We took a midday break outside of Saqqara to eat at a local restaurant. Pictured below is a local lady making Aish Baladi, the flat bread of Egypt. Eating it directly out of the oven is a warm delight! We drank local Egypt wine and were spoiled for choice with chicken, lamb, and beef kebabs served with an array of condiments. Our tour ended in Memphis were the statue of Ramses II is kept. There a multitude of other statues scattered around the premises that our guide allowed us to examine. I captured the above shot on our way back to central Cairo. It appears that the revolution has taken its toll on the general living conditions of the Egyptian people. For the night we booked a Felucca ride on the Nile. This cost 100 Egyptian pounds for one hour or roughly 11 USD. It was the perfect ending to our busy day as the Felucca provides a tranquil platform in comparison to the vibrant streets of Cairo.

The second day started off with a tour of the Egyptian Museum. The Museum is located in Tahrir Square the place were the 2011 revolution took place. There appeared to be no damages done to the museum building itself. The most surprising thing about the museum is the amount of artefacts stored throughout the building and the outside grounds. Our guide gave us ample free time to explore the museum. He told us that the Egyptian Museum houses over 120,000 items and it would take us over 8 months if we looked at each piece. The only negative thing I’d say about the Egyptian Museum is that you really do need a tour guide for the place since it’s not well placarded with information. Only large pieces have display cases with information on the artefact. Even with the lack of information the museum was well attended and has an impressive amount of artefacts to please the curious minds of ancient Egypt.

Our tour guide took us next to the Hanging Church. It is one of the first Coptic or Christian churches in Egypt and has stood as a foundation for the Coptic population in Egypt. The decor is a mixture of Middle Eastern and Christian art work with inscriptions in Arabic. Outside the church is a large cemetery that houses a large amount of Greek orthodox graves and a cave that supposedly the holy family drank out of. We went to Islamic Egypt where the Citadel is located. The Citadel provides a perfect panoramic view of Cairo and the Pyramids in the distance. The Citadel itself was a breathtaking structure. It was built in the medieval times and gave me the impression of a gothic church vs. a mosque. For ladies visiting, there are abayas to rent to enter the mosque or you need to dress conservatively with a scarf to cover your hair. We ended our tour at Khan el-Khalili, the largest bazaar in Cairo. Before we tackled the winding alleyways, we ate a traditional dish called Kushari. It is a mixture of it pasta and tomato sauce, rice, lentils, caramelized onions, and chickpeas. There is the option to pour garlic sauce and chili sauce overtop of it. We spent most of the afternoon smoking sheesha at El Fishawy. This coffee shop has been serving patrons for the past 200 years. The ambience whisk you back a few centuries and creates an inviting place to sit and converse over a warm cup of mint tea. The best part of walking the streets of Egypt is the amount of people who would walk up and ask for photos. My tour guide always referred to me as the queen and the people of Cairo made me feel like one. The last moments spent walking in Cairo didn’t disappoint as the people are friendly and welcoming. Thank you Cairo for a wonderful time and for memories that will last a lifetime!!

As soon as we drove away from the airport we were on the coast of the corte azur. The airport itself is one of the most interesting to fly into as it looks like the plane is about to land on the water.

Looking at the stunning blue water it’s easy to see why hordes of people flock here for their holidays.

One thing to do, is walk up Castle Hill to see the beautiful view of the coastline and the romantic French streets.

The climb features a waterfall that sprays water on you which is very refreshing in the summer time!

After walking up Castle Hill, we took to the maze of alleyways to explore old town Nice. Although their are a few tourist shops in the area, for the most part Old town still holds the artistic old beauty of France years past.

Wondering around the streets you’ll be sure to find a restaurant that will draw you in off the street and conince you to snuggle into their cozy corners.

I am looking forward to spending more time exploring here in the future.

Hellllloooo 2016! Where has the time gone?! Already two months into the new year and I’m still writing 2015 on things.

Let’s recap what happened in 2015. 145 flights, 17 new countries and 31 new cities that’s what happened. I fell in and out of love. Perhaps became a racist…wait what? Yes, my downfall of 2015 is I gained an absolute cringe worthy disgust for a certain nationality. I’ve learned how to be alone, as glamorous as my job can be it can also be one of the most lonely occupations. You’d be surprised at the amount of times I find myself doing things alone either because on layovers no one wants to go outside the hotel or on days off I don’t know anyone in the city. I encountered new ideologies and became more culturally aware of the world. I can now have debates about the hand over of Hong Kong to China, joke about Zuma, and hold my own on MENA issues. This year has been full of highs and lows, but really the older I get the more I realize that’s life.

So what are my goals for 2016?

Travel to Australia. I’ve been flying for a year and never gotten to experience this beautiful country

Take more spontaneous trips. In 2015, I said I would travel on my days off and besides traveling domestically, I never just jumped on a plane and went somewhere. This year, I’m going to do that.

Avoid going home-sorry mom! I’m not sure how much longer I’m going to work as a flight attendant so I’m going to use my leave to travel to new places.

That’s it. Short and sweet and highly achievable. That’s another thing I learned in 2015, setting and achieving realistic goals. If you look back on my 2015 goals, you can definitely hold me accountable for falling short on a majority of goals.

As you can see, I’ve already traveled around world twice in two short months. Let’s see the places I’ll go in 2016.

If I ever move back to America, I’m going to plop myself down in the southern comfort of Texas. Steaks, Tex-Mex, Cowboys…need I say more? Ten years later, I found myself wondering down the stock yards of Forth Worth, Texas. Not much had changed since my horse crazy adolescent years. For a cheap $18 you could get a seat at the two hour show at the stockyards. The show includes bull riding, team roping, single roping and barrel racing. The show starts at 8 pm on Friday and Saturdays. It’s a great night out with friends and family. Afterwards we fulfilled my tex-mex dreams eating at the steakhouse R3 around the corner from the stockyards. For a full day at the Stockyards, I would recommend coming a few hours before the show. There are plenty of boutiques and souvenir shops to entertain yourself. The following day, we drove 30 minutes outside of Dallas to Grapevine, Texas. The town has transformed to a Christmas village for the month of December. The Main Street blast Christmas songs and shoppers wish you Christmas cheer as you make your way in and out of stores. The last place we visited on our short trip to Dallas, was the Nash Homestead. The Nash family is one of the founding families of Grapevine and their house has been preserved as a national trust site. During Christmas time they open the house up to the public for a free tour of the house and showcase to visitors what it would be like for families on the prairie during the holiday time. At the end of the tour, visitors are given hot chocolate and cookies making it a tasty ending to a fun filled day.

After 22 years in the United States, I have to admit shamefully that I never made a trip to California. So when I got sent there for work, I had Miley Cyrus running through my head “Hopped out the cab at LAX with a dream and a cardigan.. ” With just 48 hours in the city, I knew I had to hit the ground running to fit in the things I wanted to see.

First up on things to do was Santa Monica Pier. Unfortunately due to multiple traffic jams we arrived at the pier too late to properly enjoy all the attractions it has to offer. It was still a fun experience walking along the fluorescent lit pier After a chilly walk around the prier we decided to eat at a Mexican restaurant called the Blue Taco opposite the broadwalk. Although slightly pricey for Mexican food it turned out be a very tasty option.

On our second day in LA we decided to head to Venice beach via the Pacific Coast Highway. If you’re ever driving in LA, skip the 405 and the 101 and hop onto the Pacific Coast Highway.

It’s a much more scenic drive and less stressful then the above mentioned highway. After only being on the beach a few minutes, we found ourselves becoming movie stars. Not really, but hey we were extras for a low budget basketball film! Kind of neat.

Since neither of us were clearly actors, we went to the Pacific Ocean to dip our big toes in. It was exciting to say I’ve finally made it to the West Coast. I’m an East Coast girl through and through. The great thing about Venice beach is that there is a variety of things to do. It’s an easy get away to the beach and there is pricey shopping on Abbot Kinney Rd. if you want something more upscale than the boardwalk. If none of that suits your fancy than how about working out on muscle beach?

Of course I couldn’t leave the West Coast without a trip to In & Out Burger. The famous fast food chain only has two meal options on the menu; Cheeseburger or burger.